Live-Action ‘How To Train Your Dragon’: Release Date, Creative Team, and Everything We Know About the Upcoming Remake (2024)

How to Train Your Dragon is a beloved DreamWorks franchise that has gone on to have three animated films, multiple shows, and shorts. With news of a live-action movie already in development, fans will return to Berk much sooner than expected.

With Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and friends making the jump to live action, there will be plenty of questions. We’ll explain everything you need to know about How to Train Your Dragon (2025).

Who Are The Cast of the Live-Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' Movie?

Casting announcements are still to come, but we do know who our two leads will be. Mason Thames (The Black Phone) will star as Hiccup, with Nico Parker (The Last of Us) playing Astrid. The two rising stars will be putting on their Viking helmet as they bring the franchise to life in a way we've never seen before. Gerad Butler will reprise his role as Stoick, Hiccup's father. Bulter voiced the role in the animated film How to Train Your Dragon. Nick Frost will play as Gobber the Belch. Ruth Codd (The Fall of the House of Usher) will play Phlegma, a Viking from the same village as Hiccup and Astrid. Julian Dennison (Fishlegs), Gabriel Howell (Snotlout), Bronwyn James (Ruffnut), and Harry Trevaldwyn (Tuffnut) all joined the cast in February 2024.

Dennison praised the approach to the source material, saying that the practical sets transport you back to Berk:

"I loved them growing up as a kid. And already there's been a lot of stuff, you know, when the casting comes out and there's different opinions, and people love the show and they want to make sure it's great, or they love the film. So it's really great. And Dean who's [the] director [of] all the films . They're doing a good job, they're making sure it's done well. There's a lot of heart, there's a lot of feeling and there's been a lot of conversations on set where they're like, 'Do we do this?' And people have said 'No, because the audience won't like it' and they've changed it, and they've done it. So they're really staying true to what it is. So, I'm excited to see it. Yeah, it's great."

Does 'How to Train Your Dragon' Have a Release Date?

Filming was set to begin on June 30, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately, the film's production was significantly delayed due to the dueling WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. How to Train Your Dragon had a release date set for March 14, 2024, but the film was pushed back an entire year to June 13, 2025. After the strikes concluded, production on the film quickly restarted, with the project wrapping in May 2024.

Who Is Behind the Live-Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' Movie?

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) will be brought to life by Dean DeBlois, the creator of the animated film. With DeBlois producing, writing, and directing, we should expect a faithful adaptation of the source material with a few new twists and turns along the way. Similar to how Neil Druckmann helped create both The Last of Us video game and the HBO series. Universal Pictures, the parent company behind DreamWorks Animation, will back the film.

Actor Nick Frost praised DeBlois' approach to the live-action remake, saying:

He's just f*cking lovely. He's funny, he's clever, and he's smart, and you're just like, 'Okay, he's got it. Relax. Don't worry about it. Just learn your lines and have fun.' It's so nice knowing that someone's just got you. Also, he'd come along sometimes, and he’d be like, 'You want a drink? You alright?' You’d be like, 'I'm fine. Don't worry about me.' He worries and he cares about everyone.

Does 'How to Train Your Dragon' Have a Trailer?

We received our first look at How to Train Your Dragon on November 19, 2024. Universal Studios dropped the teaser ahead of the musical sensation Wicked. In the brief glimpse of the film, we see Hiccup (Thames) struggling to fit in the world of dragons before he meets his new best friend, a Night Fury named Toothless.

What Is 'How to Train Your Dragon' About?

Based on the Cressida Cowell novels of the same name, How to Train Your Dragon takes us to the village of Berk, home of legendary Vikings and dragon slayers. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is the son of the village leader, Stoick the Vast (Gerald Butler), and to keep up the family tradition, he must slay a dragon when he comes of age. The kind-hearted Hiccup can’t bring himself to take a life, especially after meeting Toothless, a friendly dragon.

How to Train Your Dragon is a coming-of-age tale that beautifully blends high fantasy and family drama. Throughout the trilogy, Hiccup becomes a great leader and helps change Berk from a world that killed dragons for survival to one where they all live in harmony. The franchise is endearing because it’s a true coming-of-story as we follow Hiccup from a child into his adulthood, watching him grow every step.

The original animated trilogy grossed over $1.6 billion at the box office. All three films were nominated for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards.

With the genre revitalized by shows like Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, it makes sense for Universal to throw its hat into the ring with its own fantasy project. The upcoming film will reimagine How to Train Your Dragon and focus on Hiccup's first meeting with Toothless. We will likely see them adapt the rest of the trilogy in a fantasy epic if successful.

How to Train Your Dragon

PG

Animation

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Release Date

March 26, 2010

Director

Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders

Cast

Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill , Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Runtime

98 minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Writers

Cressida Cowell , William Davies , Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders

Tagline

In theaters, Real D 3D, and IMAX 3D March 26th.

Website

http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

Watch on Prime Video